The Ekiti State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has threatened to petition the Economic and Financial Crime Commisson, EFCC, if the ex-governor Ayodele Fayose fails to give satisfactory explanation about the N400 million earnmarked for Akure-Ado-Ekiti Road.
The ruling party also urged the former Governor to clarify why it terminated the reconstruction of Ekiti portion of the road and chase away workers of KOPEC construction company who was handling the project without justifiable reason.
Fayose had last Wednesday lamented the poor state of the road, saying the interstate road linking Ondo State capital, Akure and its Ekiti State counterparts; Ado-Ekiti has turned to a death trap.
Related: Fix Ado- Akure Road, Fayose Urges Federal Government
However, the ruling APC expressed surprise that he could be describing the road as being deplorable, alleging the ex-governor during his first term administration misappropriated the N400 million earnmarked for the road project.
In his response, Fayose told the party to refrain from constituting itself into a court of law or anti-graft agency that would be judging people on issue of alleged corruption, urging it to petition the EFCC if it has evidence against him.
He said that the APC-led government should dissipate its energy on how to deliver dividends of democracy to the citizenry instead of spreading calumny against him.
Addressing newsmen in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday, the APC State Publicity Secretary, Hon. Ade Ajayi, said the ruling party as a responsible and patriotic party will earnestly petition the EFCC, if the ex-governor fails to give satisfactory explanation about the money”.
He added further: “We are not accusing the former governor Fayose of embezzlement, but he must explain why he terminated Ado- Akure road contract. The public want to know whether he terminated that contract for the construction of Afao Road, because the Ado-Akure road is very germane to our economy in Ekiti.
“The African Development Bank, AfDB, and the Federal Government, had shown interest to reconstruct the road. Why was the former Governor now lamenting? We were able to decode that he had ulterior motive, which was to dent the image of the Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.
“When we asked him about how he spent the money, he dodged the question and we were baffled, because we expected him to say the truth. All Ekiti and members of the public knew that Fayose was responsible for the bad state of the road by revoking the contract after the contractor had mobilised to site.
“Why would a person who was responsible for the deplorable state of the road should now be lamenting? We are baffling over this? He should tell us where the money went rather than lamenting. Our people must be careful with the politics he was playing”, he said.
“This Fayose that was lamenting spent N17 billion on flyover that is not necessary. It could have been better if such money was spent on roads across the State.
“Governor Fayemi has reawarded Oye-Ayede-Otun, Ilupeju- Ire -Igbemo-Ijan and Ode-Isinbode-Omuo roads. He should bury his head in shame. Anytime he is in Ekiti, he should ruminate on his past and how he got it wrong .
“We want to warn that APC won’t toletate any dirty politics from him”, the party stated.